A 54-year-old man who held his wife and seven children captive for 20 years has been arrested after one of them managed to escape.
The incident happened in Novo Oriente, Brazil.
The unnamed suspect suspected reportedly raped them before forcing them to have abortions
The seven children are aged between 3 and 22 and investigators say the suspect’s mother-in-law was also sexually abused.
He also drilled holes in the walls of the house so that he could see his daughters getting dressed.
It was only when one of them gave him a sleeping pill so she could escape and report him to the police that he was exposed.
Authorities carried out a month-long investigation before they carried out a raid at the home.
Three foetuses were found buried in the garden and the man’s wife, 40, said she had been held captive since she was 17.
One of the foetuses found buried was eight months old and the wife was reportedly forced to have three abortions by her husband.
Another daughter was forced to endure an unsuccessful abortion of a six-month-old foetus but the baby survived and was rescued by a midwife.
The girl was in poor health at the time but her dad did not let her receive any medical help.
The mum and children have now been moved to another state in Brazil for their protection and the man is being held in preventative custody.
He has been charged with false imprisonment, rape of a vulnerable person, psychological violence, abortion and concealment of a corpse.
Police spokesperson Herika Ribeiro Sena said: “The victim only left home to receive benefits and, many times, was accompanied by him. None of the neighbours knew her, not even relatives had access to her.”
The investigation is ongoing.
Linda Ikeji
